Negative Reaction to 888 – Facebook Deal

While gambling fans were enthusiastic about 888 launching real-money gambling games on Facebook, many were not pleased with the news.

While gambling fans were enthusiastic about 888 launching real-money gambling games on Facebook, many were not pleased with the news.

The social network has been accused of creating ‘tomorrow’s generation of problem gamblers’ with the introduction of the games.

Gamers in the UK will be able to place bets of up to £500 to try and win jackpots worth thousands of pounds. Both Facebook and 888 are insisting that they have put enough safeguards in place to prevent under age people playing the game.

Already anyone can login and play virtual slot machines to win credits, which have no monetary value, and anyone over the age of 18 will soon be able to play for real money.

Mark Griffiths, professor of Gambling Studies at Nottingham Trent University said that one of the problems is that “you win virtually every time you play one of the free games.” The worry is that users will expect the same odds when the play the real-money versions. Griffiths warned that the new games could cause the “floodgate to open” on problem gambling.

The COO of 888, Itai Frieberger, has said that users who are under 18 won’t even be able to see the games on Facebook. Nonetheless, many are still worried that the safeguards won’t be enough.